The present invention relates to pillows supporting the head and back of a person while the person soaks in a bathtub, and moe particularly, to a bath pillow that may be anchored to a surface of a bathtub and to a surface of the ceramic wares that surround the bathtub, so that a person lying in the bathtub may lean against the pillow for support of his or her head and back.
It is a common practice for bathers to soak in the bathtub while resting head and shoulders against the ceramic wall that usually surrounds the tub or against the ceramic surface of the tub itself. Such resting place for the head and shoulders is very uncomfortable and lacks the bouyant support that the rest of the body receives from the water in the bathtub. By soaking in the tub, the bather takes full advantage of the therapeutic and cleansing properties of water. These properties may be enhanced by prolonged soaking in water that is mechanically agitated or chemically enhanced with bubble bath or salt solutions. One would not wish to undermine the advantages of soaking by shortening the duration of discomfort in resting head and shoulders.
Use of a bath pillow for soaking is not novel. One example of a bath pillow marketed to the filing of an application on the present invention can be found on page 33 of a 1988 catalog copyrighted by the Lillian Vernon Corporation, 510 South Fulton Avenue, Mt. Vernon, N.Y. 10550. The device shown in the catalog is a luxury bath pillow that cushions the head an neck. The device has a shell shape that cradles the user and keeps the user'hair dry. Two strong suction cups grip the tub against slipping and sliding.
The device shown in the catalog is inflated to cushion its user againts the hard surfaces of the tub and surrounding wall. Because it is inflated, the device must be used with care to guard against puncture, chemical penetration, and wear. The device also is structured so that the body weight must be pushed against the suction cups to hold its securement to the tub surface. This structural relationship requires that its user be cradled within the shell in a set manner and does not allow its user to seek his or here own comfort zone. Finally, the shell shape configuration does not provide an adjustable means for resting the shoulder area of the user in an orthopedic relationship between the head, neck and shoulder area.